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History Channel's 'The World Wars' Chock Full of Major Historical Errors
NewsBusters ^ | May 29, 2014 | P.J. Gladnick

Posted on 05/29/2014 7:16:16 AM PDT by PJ-Comix

Did you know that the Communists stormed the Winter Palace and overthrew the Czar?

If you are right now screaming at your computer screen in anger, congratulations. That means you are more informed on the subject of history than the entire History channel. The error cited above is but one of the many that the History Channel included in their three part series, "The World Wars," this week. The amazing thing is that not only a particular History Channel writer made these errors but that nobody at the History Channel spotted them. Are they so involved in the "history" of Ancient Aliens over there that they have completely lost track of real history? The lack of historical knowledge at the History Channel is astonishing as evidenced by the following errors in the series.

(Excerpt) Read more at newsbusters.org ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: historychannel; theworldwars; ww1; ww2
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To: longtermmemmory

I suppose for a “general” kinda fact based series it was kinda a guide for someone who cared to dig a little deeper. Or for those that know some of the history, dissatisfying. I may have missed something but, was the league of nations ever mentioned?


61 posted on 05/29/2014 9:19:41 AM PDT by rktman (Ethnicity: Nascarian. Race: Daytonafivehundrian)
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To: PJ-Comix
History! Awesome dude.
62 posted on 05/29/2014 9:45:19 AM PDT by FreedomGuru (Time for torches and pitchforks.)
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To: PJ-Comix
I was looking forward to this, a little.

It was like a 3rd grade-level version of history, written by someone who had a poor memory and had only read a bad account of it.

I'll grant that there was a lot of stuff to try and stick in 6 hours.....but it was so ridiculously wrong, that it was almost fun to watch.

I liked the bits where FDR was taking direct command of the military operations in the Pacific....a phone call comes in...."Mr President. Your plan worked.". Sort of like Obama personally leading the SEALs assault on BinLaden.

63 posted on 05/29/2014 9:54:00 AM PDT by wbill
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To: wbill

Apparently the people filming or editing this show have no idea what they are doing.


64 posted on 05/29/2014 9:56:42 AM PDT by GeronL (Vote for Conservatives not for Republicans)
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To: GeronL
Ya think?

It was laugh-out-loud bad in places.

Problem is, it'll be shown by history teachers all over the country, and presented as "Fact".

I'm still wondering how you can talk about WWII history and not mention Dwight Eisenhower, once. Or the invasion of Africa. Or India. Burma. Guadalcanal. Or the Dolittle bombing. Or.........

65 posted on 05/29/2014 10:02:37 AM PDT by wbill
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To: wbill

I heard there were B-17’s shown bombing Poland


66 posted on 05/29/2014 10:04:56 AM PDT by GeronL (Vote for Conservatives not for Republicans)
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To: wbill

does the History Channel company still own the Military Channel and I guess this will be rerun on that channel too eventually.


67 posted on 05/29/2014 10:06:26 AM PDT by GeronL (Vote for Conservatives not for Republicans)
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To: dfwgator
Go buy or rent The World At War instead.

Back in the 1990s, PBS aired a series called "Battlefield." Best series I've ever seen. (And by far the best thing ever aired on PBS.)

68 posted on 05/29/2014 10:13:07 AM PDT by kevao (Biblical Jesus: Give your money to the poor. Socialist Jesus: Give your neighbor's money to the poor)
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To: GeronL
4-engine bombers of some sort. Didn't look like B-17s, but they might have been. It was just stock footage, all cobbled together.

Didn't matter - show had both the Germans and the Japs with 4-engine bombers, when neither used them widely. Especially since the show inferred the Japanese used 4 engine bombers off their carrier decks. That would have been some trick. :-)

69 posted on 05/29/2014 10:38:44 AM PDT by wbill
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To: skeeter
Yes. So hard to criticize the history channel after attending a "Renaissance Fair!" But keep the faith. Someday, they may even re-open the Public Schools .... as schools.

BTW,while we chat, you are missing the biggest news of the week? Why, the Obama divorce story in the National Enquirer, of course. Seems Michelle just fit-to-be-tied over Barry's lust-fever. 12 co-respondents named, starlets, prime ministers, everybody but ole Fergie! Seems I was wrong about Obama. Such a Stud-Muffin!*

Film at 11? Hope he let Reggie down easy.

Excuse me now. I must return to Ebonics practice texting on my Obamaphone. Freaky-Deaky be cumin up.

70 posted on 05/29/2014 10:42:35 AM PDT by Kenny Bunk (Vote for a gay African Marxist for POTUS? Sure. What could go wrong?)
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To: wbill

lolz

That would definitely be a huge achievement


71 posted on 05/29/2014 10:43:17 AM PDT by GeronL (Vote for Conservatives not for Republicans)
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To: dfwgator

probably free online somewhere


72 posted on 05/29/2014 10:45:02 AM PDT by GeronL (Vote for Conservatives not for Republicans)
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To: GeronL
No idea on History / Military channel.

I watch my militaria on Youtube, now. Lets me pick and choose what I like.

Last week, I found a great 1943-era documentary on the 8th Air Force, narrated/hosted by Errol Flynn. Real Rah-Rah, Go-and-get-'em type stuff, probably to sell more war bonds. Neat snapshot of history, sez me.

WBill Jr. likes WW II vintage army training films. "You and your M1", "Operation of the German MG42 machine gun", and so on. Really, really dry, but he thinks they're the bees knees. Anything marked "Confidential" or "Secret", he thinks that he's 'in' on something special.

Mostly, I don't mind, because I don't need to worry that he'll find something that he probably shouldn't see, so long as I screen for the VD training films, and so on. :-)

73 posted on 05/29/2014 10:45:11 AM PDT by wbill
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To: skeeter
Paul Revere

Paulie got his name in the poem most probably because Longfellow hadn't paid the bill for his tea service. Paulie got unhorsed early on that night. Some fellow named Dawes carried out the mission.

Also note "Dawes" don't no way rhyme with "hear."

74 posted on 05/29/2014 10:45:54 AM PDT by Kenny Bunk (Vote for a gay African Marxist for POTUS? Sure. What could go wrong?)
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To: wbill

BUMP

Youtube has some good stuff but a lot of really bad stuff too these days


75 posted on 05/29/2014 10:53:30 AM PDT by GeronL (Vote for Conservatives not for Republicans)
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To: lormand
At first, I thought Pawn Stars was a good match for the channel since the participants are always giving historical background to the items they examine.

I know I'm probably setting myself to be treated like I've just told preschoolers that Santa doesn't exist, but you do know that all of those "reality" tee-vee shows aren't real, right?

76 posted on 05/29/2014 10:56:15 AM PDT by Orangedog (An optimist is someone who tells you to 'cheer up' when things are going his way)
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To: skeeter

He did both.

First off, he, along with his wife, son, General Sutherland—his Chief of Staff (and Eisenhower’s replacement), the son’s Chinese nurse, left on one boat, and there with three more PT boats with them that were filled with his senior staff and several Filipino servants/nurses/houseboys/maids/cooks. They took the boats to Mindanao, and then flew B-17s to Australia.

Back in 1984 I met one of those servants, who worked for MacArthur, who told me a lot of great Mac stories!


77 posted on 05/29/2014 11:01:39 AM PDT by Alas Babylon!
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To: circlecity

I loved the WWI segment showing of WWII M-3 Stuart tanks attacking the Germans at Belleau wood.


78 posted on 05/29/2014 11:02:26 AM PDT by Justa
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To: Terry L Smith

I believe I even saw a Jap ship with an Aegis phased array radar panel!


79 posted on 05/29/2014 11:04:20 AM PDT by Alas Babylon!
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To: Kenny Bunk
"Listen my children, of the rebel cause, and the patriot rider with the name of Dawes" .....

Doesn't have the same ring to it.

FWIW, WBill Jr and I read Paul Revere's Ride, every Patriot's Day. Maybe it's not all that accurate, but it's a good read. He's starting to quote along with the story..."One if by land, and two if by sea..." :-)

A good two-fer. Literary, and historical enough to get him interested in learning more.

80 posted on 05/29/2014 11:25:06 AM PDT by wbill
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